Ripple network access control system

ABSTRACT

An exemplary method includes operating an access control device in a standalone mode, which involves controlling a locked/unlocked state of the access control device locally, and operating a wireless transceiver of the access control device in a lower-power state in which the wireless transceiver is operable to receive a lockdown signal from an external device. The method further includes operating the access control device in a networked lockdown mode in response to receiving the lockdown signal from the external device. Operating the access control device in the networked lockdown mode involves placing the access control device in a locked state, establishing a wireless communication connection with the external device via the wireless transceiver while operating the wireless transceiver in a higher-power state.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to access control systems, andmore particularly but not exclusively relates to access control systemsfor facilities such as schools.

BACKGROUND

Certain access control systems are provided with a centralized lockdownfunctionality by which an administrator can cause all locksets in thesystem to enter a locked state. Current access control systems providingsuch functionality require that the system be fully networked, which canbe significantly more complex and/or expensive to purchase, install, andoperate as compared to a system in which the locksets operateindependently. For these reasons among others, there remains a need forfurther improvements in this technological field.

SUMMARY

An exemplary method includes operating an access control device in astandalone mode, which involves controlling a locked/unlocked state ofthe access control device locally, and operating a wireless transceiverof the access control device in a lower-power state in which thewireless transceiver is operable to receive a lockdown signal from anexternal device. The method further includes operating the accesscontrol device in a networked lockdown mode in response to receiving thelockdown signal from the external device. Operating the access controldevice in the networked lockdown mode involves placing the accesscontrol device in a locked state, establishing a wireless communicationconnection with the external device via the wireless transceiver whileoperating the wireless transceiver in a higher-power state. Furtherembodiments, forms, features, and aspects of the present applicationshall become apparent from the description and figures providedherewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a lockset according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a control assembly according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a process according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an access control systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a process according to certainembodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic representations of the access control systemillustrated in FIG. 4 at various stages of the process illustrated inFIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Although the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible tovarious modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments havebeen shown by way of example in the drawings and will be describedherein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is nointent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particularforms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the presentdisclosure and the appended claims.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily includethat particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, suchphrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. It shouldfurther be appreciated that although reference to a “preferred”component or feature may indicate the desirability of a particularcomponent or feature with respect to an embodiment, the disclosure isnot so limiting with respect to other embodiments, which may omit such acomponent or feature. Further, when a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it issubmitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art toimplement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection withother embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that items included in a list inthe form of “at least one of A, B, and C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A andB); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Similarly, items listed inthe form of “at least one of A, B, or C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A andB); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Further, with respect to theclaims, the use of words and phrases such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,”and/or “at least one portion” should not be interpreted so as to belimiting to only one such element unless specifically stated to thecontrary, and the use of phrases such as “at least a portion” and/or “aportion” should be interpreted as encompassing both embodimentsincluding only a portion of such element and embodiments including theentirety of such element unless specifically stated to the contrary.

The disclosed embodiments may, in some cases, be implemented inhardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. The disclosedembodiments may also be implemented as instructions carried by or storedon one or more transitory or non-transitory machine-readable (e.g.,computer-readable) storage media, which may be read and executed by oneor more processors. A machine-readable storage medium may be embodied asany storage device, mechanism, or other physical structure for storingor transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., avolatile or non-volatile memory, a media disc, or other media device).

In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown incertain specific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should beappreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not berequired. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged ina different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figuresunless indicated to the contrary. Additionally, the inclusion of astructural or method feature in a particular figure is not meant toimply that such feature is required in all embodiments and, in someembodiments, may not be included or may be combined with other features.

With reference to FIG. 1, illustrated therein is an access controldevice in the form of a lockset 100 according to certain embodiments.The lockset 100 is mounted to a door 80, and generally includes aninside assembly 110 mounted to an inner side 81 of the door 80, anoutside assembly 120 mounted to an outer side 82 of the door 80, achassis 130 mounted within a cutout 83 of the door 80 and connected withthe inside assembly 110 and the outside assembly 120, and a boltmechanism 140 operably connected with the chassis 130 and operable toextend beyond a swinging edge 84 of the door 80. The lockset 100 furtherincludes an electronically-operable locking mechanism 150 having alocking state and an unlocking state, and a control assembly 160operable to transition the locking mechanism 140 between the lockingstate and the unlocking state.

The inside assembly 110 includes an inside actuator 112 that is operablyconnected to the chassis 130 such that the inside actuator 112 is atleast selectively operable to actuate the bolt mechanism 140. In theillustrated form, the inside actuator 112 is provided in the form of ahandle, and more particularly as a lever. In other embodiments, theinside actuator 112 may be provided in another form, such as that of aknob, a thumbturn, or a pushbar mechanism. The inside assembly 110further includes a lockdown mechanism 114, and may further include alock state selector 116. In certain forms, the lock state selector 116may be a mechanical lock state selector that physically drives thelocking mechanism 150 between its locking state and its unlocking state.In other forms, the lock state selector 116 may be an electronic lockstate selector that is in communication with the control assembly 160and is operable to cause the control assembly 160 to transition thelocking mechanism between its locking state and its unlocking state.

As described in further detail below, the lockdown mechanism 114 isoperable to transmit to the control assembly 160 a lockdown signal. Thelockdown mechanism 114 may take any of a number of forms. As oneexample, the lockdown mechanism 114 may be of the type that the userbreaks glass and throws a lever. As another example, the lockdownmechanism 114 may be provided as a lock cylinder having a switch thattransmits the lockdown signal when the lock cylinder is actuated. As afurther example, the lockdown mechanism 114 may be provided as acredential reader that transmits the lockdown signal when an appropriatelockdown credential is presented to the credential reader.

The outside assembly 120 includes an outside actuator 122 that isoperably connected to the chassis 130 such that the outside actuator 122is selectively operable to actuate the bolt mechanism 140. In theillustrated form, the outside actuator 122 is provided in the form of ahandle, and more particularly as a lever. In other embodiments, theoutside actuator 122 may be provided in another form, such as that of aknob, a thumbturn, or a lock cylinder. The outside assembly 120 mayfurther include a credential reader 124 in communication with thecontrol assembly 160. The credential reader 124 may, for example, takethe form of a card reader, a keypad, or a biometric credential reader.During normal operation of the lockset 100, presentation of anappropriate credential to the credential reader 124 (e.g., by inputtinga code or presenting a card, a fob, or a biometric input) causes thecontrol assembly 160 to transition the locking mechanism 150 from thelocked state to the unlocked state to selectively permit actuation ofthe bolt mechanism 140 by the outside actuator 122. In certain forms,the credential reader 124 may be considered a lock state selector.

The chassis 130 is mounted within the door cutout 83 and at leastselectively connects each of the actuators 112, 122 with the boltmechanism 140. The chassis 130 may, for example, take the form of amortise-format chassis, a cylindrical-format chassis, or atubular-format chassis, the features of which will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art. The chassis 130 has a locked state and anunlocked state. In the unlocked state, the chassis 130 maintains thebolt mechanism 140 in a retracted state and/or permits the outsideassembly 120 to retract the bolt mechanism 140. In the locked state, thechassis 130 maintains the bolt mechanism 140 in an extended state and/orprevents the outside assembly 120 from retracting the bolt mechanism140. The chassis 130 may be transitioned between the locked state andthe unlocked state by the electronic locking mechanism 150.

The bolt mechanism 140 includes a bolt 142 having an extended positionand a retracted position. With the bolt 142 in the extended position andthe door 80 in the closed position, the bolt 142 extends into thedoorframe and retains the door 80 in the closed position. When the bolt142 is retracted, the door 80 is free to move to the open position. Inthe illustrated form, the bolt mechanism 140 is provided in the form ofa latchbolt mechanism, and includes a spring-loaded latchbolt 142 thatis biased toward its extended position. In other forms, the boltmechanism 140 may be provided in the form of a deadbolt mechanism, andmay include a bolt 142 in the form of a deadlocking deadbolt.Additionally, while the illustrated bolt mechanism 140 is providedadjacent the chassis 130, it is also contemplated that the boltmechanism 140 may be positioned remotely from the chassis 130.

The electronic locking mechanism 150 may be mounted within the chassis130, and has an unlocking state in which the door 80 can be opened fromthe outer side 82 (e.g., by operating the outside actuator 122 and/orpulling the door 80 toward its open position), and a locking state inwhich the door 80 cannot be opened from the outer side 82. In theillustrated form, the locking mechanism 150 prevents the outsideactuator 122 from actuating the bolt mechanism 140 when in the lockingstate, and permits the outside actuator 122 to actuate the boltmechanism 140 when in the unlocking state. In other forms, the lockingmechanism 140 may retract the bolt 142 when transitioned from thelocking state to the unlocking state, and may extend the bolt 142 whentransitioned from the unlocking state to the unlocking state.

With additional reference to FIG. 2, the electronic locking mechanism150 includes a locking member 152 having a locking position and anunlocking position, and an electronic actuator 154 operable to drive thelocking member 152 between the locking position and the unlockingposition to thereby adjust the locked/unlocked state of the lockset 100.In certain forms, the locking member 152 may be configured toselectively prevent the outside actuator 122 from retracting the bolt142. As one example, the outside actuator 122 may be operably coupledwith the bolt mechanism 140 such that rotation of the actuator 122retracts the bolt 142, and the locking member 152 may prevent rotationof the actuator 122 when in the locking position. As another example,the outside actuator 122 may be selectively coupled with the boltmechanism 140 via the locking member 152. In such forms, rotation of theactuator 122 may cause retraction of the bolt 142 when the lockingmember 152 is in its unlocking position, and the actuator 122 mayfreewheel without causing retraction of the bolt 142 when the lockingmember 152 is in its locking position. In further embodiments, thelocking member 152 may be provided as the bolt 142 such that the lockingmechanism 150 drives the bolt 142 between its extended locking positionand its retracted unlocking position without requiring operation ofeither manual actuator 112, 122.

The control assembly 160 includes a controller 162 and a wirelesstransceiver 164 that facilitates communication between the controller162 and one or more external devices 190, and may further include anonboard power supply 168. As described herein, the external device 190may be provided in the form of an additional lockset 100. The controller162 is in communication with the lockdown mechanism 114, the credentialreader 124, and the locking device 150, and is configured to controloperation of the locking device 150 based in part upon informationreceived from the lockdown mechanism 114 and the credential reader 124.For example, when an appropriate credential is presented to thecredential reader 124, the controller 162 may transmit an unlock signalthat transitions the locking device 150 from the locking state to theunlocking state to thereby permit opening of the door 80 from the outerside 82 thereof. As described herein, the controller 162 is alsoconfigured to initiate a lockdown operation in response to receiving alockdown signal from the lockdown mechanism 114 and/or from the externaldevice 190 via the wireless transceiver 164. The wireless transceiver164 may, for example, include a Wi-Fi transceiver 165 and/or a Bluetoothtransceiver 166, such as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceiver. It isalso contemplated that the wireless transceiver 165 may include wirelesstransceivers of another type, such as a Zigbee transceiver and/or aZwave transceiver.

The lockset 100 is configured to selectively operate in each of alower-power standalone mode and a higher-power networked or lockdownmode. When operating in the standalone mode, operation of the lockset100 is controlled locally, and the control assembly 160 is not incommunication with the external device 190. Thus, in the standalonemode, the locked/unlocked state of the chassis 130 may be altered by thelock state selector 116 and/or the credential reader 124, for example bycausing the controller 162 to transmit lock and unlock signals thattransition the locking device 150 between its locking state and itsunlocking state.

As noted above, when operating in the standalone mode, the operation ofthe lockset 100 is controlled locally, and the control assembly 160 neednot be in communication with the external device 190. Thus, in order toconserve power, the control assembly 160 may operate the wirelesstransceiver 164 in a lower-power mode when the lockset 100 is operatingin the standalone mode, and may operate the wireless transceiver 164 ina higher-power mode when the lockset 100 is operating in the networkedmode. As will be appreciated, the wireless transceiver 164 consumes lesselectrical power when operating in the lower-power mode than whenoperating in the higher-power mode.

In certain forms, the wireless transceiver 164 may include a Bluetoothtransceiver 166 having a normal-power active state and a low-power sleepstate. In such forms, the lower-power mode of the wireless transceiver164 may involve the Bluetooth transceiver 166 operating in the sleepstate, and the higher-power mode of the wireless transceiver 164 mayinvolve the Bluetooth transceiver 166 operating in the active state. Incertain forms, the wireless transceiver 164 may further include a Wi-Fitransceiver 165. In such forms, the lower-power mode of the wirelesstransceiver 164 may involve operating the Bluetooth transceiver 166 ineither the sleep state or the active state while the Wi-Fi transceiver165 is disabled, and the higher-power mode of the wireless transceiver164 may involve operating the Wi-Fi transceiver 165.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, illustrated therein illustratedtherein is an exemplary process 200 that may be performed using thelockset 100. Operations or blocks illustrated for the processes in thepresent application are understood to be examples only, and operationsmay be combined or divided, and added or removed, as well as re-orderedin whole or in part, unless explicitly stated to the contrary.

The process 200 may begin with block 210, which generally involvesoperating the lockset 100 in the standalone mode. As noted above, whenoperating in the standalone mode, the locked/unlocked state of thelockset 100 is controlled locally, for example by operation of the lockstate selector 116 and/or the credential reader 124. Thus, block 210involves block 212, which generally involves controlling thelocked/unlocked state of the lockset 100 locally. Additionally, thewireless transceiver 164 is operating in the lower-power state toconserve power in the onboard power supply 168. As such, block 210 alsoinvolves block 214, which generally involves operating the wirelesstransceiver 164 in the lower-power state.

When operating in the standalone mode, the lockset 100 is operable todetect a lockdown condition at block 220. In certain circumstances, thelockdown condition may be initiated locally, for example by the lockdownmechanism 114. In other circumstances, the lockdown condition may beinitiated remotely, such as by the external device 190. For example, theexternal device 190 may transmit the lockdown signal in a manner thatthe wireless transceiver 164 is operable to receive while operating inthe lower-power mode. Alternatively, the external device 190 may firstcause the wireless transceiver 164 to transition to the higher-powermode to establish a wireless communication connection with the externaldevice 190, and subsequently transmit the lockdown signal via thewireless communication connection. If the lockdown condition is notdetected 220N, the lockset 100 continues to operate in the standalonemode at block 210.

Upon receiving the lockdown signal at the lockset 100, the lockdowncondition is detected 220Y to satisfy block 220, and the process 200continues to block 230, which generally involves operating the lockset100 in the networked mode. Block 230 includes block 232, which involvesplacing the lockset 100 in the locked state. Block 232 may, for example,involve transmitting a lock signal from the controller 162 to theelectronic locking mechanism 150, thereby causing the actuator 154 toplace the locking member 152 in the locking position.

Block 230 also includes block 234, which generally involves operatingthe wireless transceiver 164 in the higher-power mode. For example,block 234 may involve waking the Bluetooth transceiver 166 and/oractivating the Wi-Fi transceiver 165. With the wireless transceiver 164operating in the higher-power mode, block 230 continues to block 236,which generally involves establishing a wireless communicationconnection with at least one external device 190, such as at least oneadditional lockset 100. As one example, in circumstances in which thelockdown condition was initiated locally (e.g., by the lockdownmechanism 114), block 236 may involve establishing the wirelesscommunication with an additional lockset 100. As another example, incircumstances in which the lockdown condition was initiated remotely(e.g., by the additional lockset 100), block 236 may involveestablishing the wireless communication with the lockset 100 thatinitiated the lockdown condition, and may further include establishing asecond wireless communication connection with a further lockset 100.

With the wireless communication connection established between thelockset 100 and the at least one external device 190 (e.g., the at leastone additional lockset 100), block 230 continues to block 238, whichgenerally involves transmitting information to and/or receivinginformation from the external device 190. For example, in circumstancesin which the lockdown condition was initiated locally, block 238 mayinvolve transmitting the lockdown signal to the additional lockset 100to thereby cause the additional lockset 100 to perform blocks 220 and230. In certain forms, the wireless communication connection may beestablished as a result of the transmission of the lockdown signal. Forexample, the Bluetooth transceiver 166 of the lockset 100 may be pairedwith the Bluetooth transceiver 166 of the additional lockset 100 suchthat the additional lockset 100 is operable to receive the lockdownsignal while operating in the standalone mode. In such forms, theadditional lockset 100 may cause the Bluetooth transceiver 166 thereofto awaken in response to receiving the lockdown signal, therebyestablishing a persistent connection between the paired devices.

As another example, in circumstances in which the lockdown condition wasinitiated remotely by a first additional lockset 100, block 238 mayinvolve transmitting the lockdown signal to a second additional lockset100, thereby satisfying block 220 at the second additional lockset 100and causing the second additional lockset 100 to initiate block 230.Block 238 may further involve transmitting information related to thelocked/unlocked status of the lockset 100 and/or the additional locksets100. For example, upon placing the lockset 100 in the locked state, thelockset 100 may transmit to the one or more external devices 190 aconfirmation that the lockset 100 has been placed in the locked state,thereby facilitating the formation of an audit trail. As described infurther detail below, such an audit trail may be accessed at either thelockset 100 or the external device 190.

While the blocks of the process 200 are illustrated in one particularorder, it is to be appreciated that the blocks may be reordered unlessexplicitly stated to the contrary. For example, while block 220 isillustrated as occurring before block 230, to be appreciated that thelockdown signal detected at block 220 may be sent via the wirelesscommunication connection established in block 236. Alternatively, asnoted above, the receipt of the lockdown signal may itself cause thewireless transceiver 164 to transition from the lower-power mode to thehigher-power mode, for example in embodiments in which Bluetoothtransceivers of the lockset 100 and the external device 190 are paired.

With additional reference to FIG. 4, illustrated therein is a schematicrepresentation of an access control system 300 according to certainembodiments. The access control system 300 includes a plurality ofaccess control devices, one or more of which may, for example, beprovided in the form of the above-described lockset 100. The accesscontrol system 300 includes first through sixth locksets 301-306, eachof which is mounted to a corresponding and respective door 311-316 andhas an associated wireless communication range. For example, the firstlockset 301 is mounted to a first door 311, and has a first wirelesscommunication range 321 within which the second lockset 302 and thefourth lockset 304 are located. Similarly, the second lockset 302 ismounted to a second door 312, and has a second wireless communicationrange 322 within which the first, third, and fifth locksets 301, 303,305 are located. The third lockset 303 is located outside the firstwireless communication range 321, and has a third wireless communicationrange 323 within which the second and sixth locksets 302, 306 arelocated. In the interest of clarity, the wireless communication rangesfor the fourth through sixth locksets 304-306 are not illustrated. Asdescribed herein, the access control system 300 is configured to operatethe plurality of locksets 301-306 in the standalone mode during normaloperation, and to operate in a networked mode in response to a lockdowncondition being detected at any of the locksets 301-306.

With additional reference to FIG. 5, illustrated therein is a process400 according to certain embodiments, which is an example use casescenario for the access control system 300. The illustrated process 400generally involves operating each lockset 100 in the access controlsystem 300 according to the process 200. The process 400 thus beginswith block 410, which generally involves operating each of the locksets301-306 in the standalone mode (FIG. 6A). Thus, in block 410, eachlockset 301-306 operates as described above with reference to thelockset 100 and block 210. With each lockset 301-306 operating in thestandalone mode, the locksets 301-306 are not in communication with oneanother, and the locked/unlocked state of each lockset 301-306 iscontrolled locally.

In block 420, a lockdown condition is initiated at the first lockset301, for example by a user operating the lockdown mechanism 114 of thefirst lockset 301. The lockdown mechanism 114 of the first lockset 301transmits the lockdown signal to the controller 162 of the first lockset301, thereby satisfying block 220 and causing the first lockset 301 toperform block 230 of the process 200. Thus, the lockset 301 transitionsto its locked state in block 232, and begins operation of its wirelesstransceiver 164 in the higher-power state in block 234.

The process 400 also includes block 430, which generally involvesestablishing a wireless communication connection 391 between the firstlockset 301 and the second lockset 302 (FIG. 6B). In other words, block430 involves the first lockset 301 performing block 236 of the process200 to establish the wireless communication connection 391 with thesecond lockset 302, thereby forming a network 390. For example, block430 may involve transmitting the lockdown signal from the first lockset301 to the second lockset 302 to satisfy block 220 at the second lockset302, thereby causing the second lockset 302 to initiate block 230 of theprocess 200. In the illustrated form, the fourth lockset 304 is alsolocated within the wireless communication range 321 of the first lockset301. As such, block 430 may further include causing the first lockset301 to perform block 236 to establish an additional wirelesscommunication connection 394 with the fourth lockset 304 such that thenetwork 390 includes the fourth lockset 304.

Upon establishing the initial network 390 in block 430, the process 400may continue to block 440, which generally involves transmittinglock/unlock information between the networked locksets 301, 302, 304.For example, the first lockset 301 may transmit to the second lockset302 and the fourth lockset 304 information indicating that the firstlockset 301 has successfully been transitioned to its locked state. Eachof the second lockset 302 and the fourth lockset 304 likewise transmitsto the first lockset 301 information relating to the locked/unlockedstate thereof, thereby propagating the locked/unlocked information foreach of the networked locksets 301, 302, 304 throughout the network 390.Each of the networked locksets 301, 302, 304 stores the information inan audit trail such that the information relating to the locked/unlockedstate of each networked lockset 301, 302, 304 can be accessed from anyof the locksets 301, 302, 304 in the network 390. The informationcommunicated in block 440 may further include information relating towhich of the locksets 301-306 initiated the lockdown condition, and suchinformation may additionally be stored in the audit trail. It is alsocontemplated that the audit trail may include additional information.For example, one or more of the locksets may include additional oralternative sensors (e.g., a door position sensor, a request to exitsensor, and/or other sensors), and the audit trail may be provided withinformation relating to the states sensed by those additional oralternative sensors.

The process 400 also includes block 450, which generally involvesexpanding the network 390 to at least one additional lockset. Forexample, block 450 may initially involve expanding the network 390 bycausing the second lockset 302 to establish a wireless communicationconnection 392 with the third lockset 303 (FIG. 6C), thereby satisfyingblock 220 at the third lockset 303 and causing the third lockset 303 toinitiate block 230. In the illustrated form, the fifth lockset 205 isalso located within the wireless communication range 322 of the secondlockset 302 and the fourth lockset 304. Accordingly, each of the secondlockset 302 and the fourth lockset 304 establishes a respective wirelesscommunication connection 394, 395 with the fifth lockset 205, therebyfurther expanding the network 390 (FIG. 6C).

Upon expanding the network 390 in block 450, the process 400 may returnto block 440, which generally involves transmitting the locked/unlockedinformation among the networked locksets 301-305. For example, thesecond lockset 302 may transmit to each of the third lockset 303 and thefifth lockset 305 information relating to the locked/unlocked state ofthe first and fourth locksets 301, 304, and each of the third lockset303 and the fifth lockset 305 may transmit to the second lockset 302information indicating that the lockset 303/305 has successfullytransitioned to the locked state. The second lockset 302 may transmitsuch information regarding the locked/unlocked states of the third andfifth locksets 303, 305 to the first lockset 301, which may relay suchinformation to the fourth lockset 304. As will be appreciated, theinformation relating to the locked/unlocked states of the third andfifth locksets 303, 305 may additionally or alternatively be received atthe fourth lockset 304 via the fifth lockset 305 due to the presence ofthe wireless communication connection 395 between the fourth and fifthlocksets 304, 305. In either event, the information related to thelocked/unlocked states of all networked locksets 301-305 is propagatedthroughout the network 390.

As will be appreciated, block 450 may be repeated as needed to expandthe network 390 to all locksets within the access control system 300,for example by causing the third and fifth locksets 303, 305 to formrespective wireless communication connections 396, 397 with the sixthlockset 306 (FIG. 6D). Similarly, block 440 may be repeated as needed toensure that each networked lockset 301-306 has information relating tothe locked/unlocked states of each other networked lockset 301. As such,an authorized user may interface with any of the locksets 301-306 todetermine which locksets have successfully entered the lockdown mode andwhich locksets have not. Thus, while the network 390 is not a true meshnetwork (in which each node is connected to each other node), thelocksets 301-306 operate as peer nodes within the network 390.Information regarding any lockset within the network 390 can be obtainedfrom any of the networked locksets, thereby obviating the need for acentral access control device to which all peripheral access controldevices report.

As noted above, the wireless transceiver 164 for each lockset 100 mayinclude a Bluetooth transceiver 166. Those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that such Bluetooth transceivers 166 are operable toreceive wake signals from other Bluetooth-enabled devices whileoperating in the low-power sleep mode. However, certain protocolsrequire that the Bluetooth transceivers 166 be paired to provide forthis wake-up functionality. Accordingly, a commissioning stage of theprocess 400 may involve pairing those devices that are within wirelesscommunication range of one another. For example, such a commissioningstep may involve pairing the first lockset 301 with each of the secondand fourth locksets 302, 304, pairing the second lockset 302 with thefirst, third, and fifth locksets 301, 304, 305, and pairing the thirdlockset 303 with the second and sixth locksets 302, 306. Thecommissioning step may further involve pairing the fourth lockset 304with the first and fifth locksets 301, 305, pairing the fifth lockset305 with the second, fourth, and sixth locksets 302, 304, 306, andpairing the sixth lockset 306 with the third and fifth locksets 303,305.

In the form described hereinabove, the lockdown condition is initiatedat the first lockset 301, which forms the initial network 390 byestablishing wireless communication connections 391, 393 with the secondand fourth locksets 302, 304. The network 390 then expands or ripplesoutward to the third and fifth locksets 303, 305, and finally to thesixth lockset 306. It should be appreciated, however, that the lockdowncondition may be initiated at any lockset 301-306 within the accesscontrol system 300. For example, the lockdown condition may be initiatedat the second lockset 302 such that the initial network includes thefirst, third, and fifth locksets 301, 303, 305, and ripples outward tothe fourth and sixth locksets 304, 306. Furthermore, while the locksetsare illustrated as being in direct communication with one another, it isalso contemplated that the effective wireless communication range of oneor more locksets may be increased by the use of a repeater.

As will be appreciated, once the network 390 has been established, eachlockset 301-306 is in direct or indirect communication with each otherlockset 301-306 in the quasi-mesh network 390. Thus, the network 390 iscapable of rapidly propagating information among the locksets 301-306,such as information relating to the locked/unlocked state of thelocksets 301-306 and/or commands to terminate the lockdown. Thus, inaddition to providing an audit trail that is accessible from any of thelocksets 301-306, the lockdown can be easily terminated at any of thelocksets 301-306, for example by operating the lockdown mechanism 114 inreverse.

It should further be appreciated that the access control system 300 mayrepresent significant cost savings over traditional networked accesscontrol systems. For example, certain conventional networked accesscontrol systems require that the locksets always be in wirelesscommunication with one another and/or a central access control device inorder for a lockdown condition to be propagated throughout the system.Due to the power requirements of the wireless transceivers, it istypically infeasible to operate the locksets off of battery power. Assuch, the access control devices must be connected to line power, whichrepresents a significant installation cost. By contrast, the systems andmethods described herein enable each lockset 100 or access controldevice to operate in a lower-power standalone mode during normaloperation, and transition to the higher-power networked mode only whenthe lockdown is to be initiated. Accordingly, at least some embodimentsof the lockset 100 can be run on battery power (e.g., power from theonboard power supply 168) without requiring connection to line power.

Additionally, while the access control system 300 is illustrated asincluding a plurality of locksets 100, it is to be appreciated that oneor more of the above-described locksets 301-306 may be replaced with anaccess control device of a different form. For example, one or more ofthe locksets 301-306 may instead be provided in the form of an exitdevice. It should also be appreciated that while the access controlsystem 300 is illustrated as including six locksets 301-306, the accesscontrol system 300 may include a different number of access controldevices. Furthermore, although each of the locksets 301-306 in theillustrated system is in the wireless communication range of two or moreother locksets, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that oneor more of the locksets may instead be within the communication range ofonly one other lockset. Where desired, one or more repeaters or gatewaysmay be utilized to extend the effective wireless communication range(s)of one or more locksets.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a simplified block diagram of at least oneembodiment of a computing device 500 is shown. The illustrativecomputing device 500 depicts at least one embodiment of a credentialmanagement system, a credential tracking system, a credential orderingsystem, a key management system, an administrative system, a mobileaccess hub, a mobile device, an access control edge system, an accesscontrol edge device, a reader device, a lock device, an accesscontroller, and/or a gateway device that may be utilized in connectionwith the lockset 100, the lockdown mechanism 114, the lock stateselector 116, the credential reader 124, the control assembly 160, thecontroller 162, the electronic locking mechanism 150, and/or theexternal device 190 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Depending on the particular embodiment, computing device 500 may beembodied as a server, desktop computer, laptop computer, tabletcomputer, notebook, netbook, Ultrabook™ mobile computing device,cellular phone, smartphone, wearable computing device, personal digitalassistant, Internet of Things (IoT) device, reader device, accesscontrol device, control panel, processing system, router, gateway,and/or any other computing, processing, and/or communication devicecapable of performing the functions described herein.

The computing device 500 includes a processing device 502 that executesalgorithms and/or processes data in accordance with operating logic 508,an input/output device 504 that enables communication between thecomputing device 500 and one or more external devices 510, and memory506 which stores, for example, data received from the external device510 via the input/output device 504.

The input/output device 504 allows the computing device 500 tocommunicate with the external device 510. For example, the input/outputdevice 504 may include a transceiver, a network adapter, a network card,an interface, one or more communication ports (e.g., a USB port, serialport, parallel port, an analog port, a digital port, VGA, DVI, HDMI,FireWire, CAT 5, or any other type of communication port or interface),and/or other communication circuitry. Communication circuitry may beconfigured to use any one or more communication technologies (e.g.,wireless or wired communications) and associated protocols (e.g.,Ethernet, Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi®, WiMAX, etc.)to effect such communication depending on the particular computingdevice 500. The input/output device 504 may include hardware, software,and/or firmware suitable for performing the techniques described herein.

The external device 510 may be any type of device that allows data to beinputted or outputted from the computing device 500. For example, invarious embodiments, the external device 510 may be embodied as theaccess control device 100, the inside assembly 110, the outside assembly120, the lock device 150, and/or the control assembly 160. Further, insome embodiments, the external device 510 may be embodied as anothercomputing device, switch, diagnostic tool, controller, printer, display,alarm, peripheral device (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touch screen display,etc.), and/or any other computing, processing, and/or communicationdevice capable of performing the functions described herein.Furthermore, in some embodiments, it should be appreciated that theexternal device 510 may be integrated into the computing device 500.

The processing device 502 may be embodied as any type of processor(s)capable of performing the functions described herein. In particular, theprocessing device 502 may be embodied as one or more single ormulti-core processors, microcontrollers, or other processor orprocessing/controlling circuits. For example, in some embodiments, theprocessing device 502 may include or be embodied as an arithmetic logicunit (ALU), central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor(DSP), and/or another suitable processor(s). The processing device 502may be a programmable type, a dedicated hardwired state machine, or acombination thereof. Processing devices 502 with multiple processingunits may utilize distributed, pipelined, and/or parallel processing invarious embodiments. Further, the processing device 502 may be dedicatedto performance of just the operations described herein, or may beutilized in one or more additional applications. In the illustrativeembodiment, the processing device 502 is of a programmable variety thatexecutes algorithms and/or processes data in accordance with operatinglogic 508 as defined by programming instructions (such as software orfirmware) stored in memory 506. Additionally or alternatively, theoperating logic 508 for processing device 502 may be at least partiallydefined by hardwired logic or other hardware. Further, the processingdevice 502 may include one or more components of any type suitable toprocess the signals received from input/output device 504 or from othercomponents or devices and to provide desired output signals. Suchcomponents may include digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or acombination thereof.

The memory 506 may be of one or more types of non-transitorycomputer-readable media, such as a solid-state memory, electromagneticmemory, optical memory, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, thememory 506 may be volatile and/or nonvolatile and, in some embodiments,some or all of the memory 506 may be of a portable variety, such as adisk, tape, memory stick, cartridge, and/or other suitable portablememory. In operation, the memory 506 may store various data and softwareused during operation of the computing device 500 such as operatingsystems, applications, programs, libraries, and drivers. It should beappreciated that the memory 506 may store data that is manipulated bythe operating logic 508 of processing device 502, such as, for example,data representative of signals received from and/or sent to theinput/output device 504 in addition to or in lieu of storing programminginstructions defining operating logic 508. As illustrated, the memory506 may be included with the processing device 502 and/or coupled to theprocessing device 502 depending on the particular embodiment. Forexample, in some embodiments, the processing device 502, the memory 506,and/or other components of the computing device 500 may form a portionof a system-on-a-chip (SoC) and be incorporated on a single integratedcircuit chip.

In some embodiments, various components of the computing device 500(e.g., the processing device 502 and the memory 506) may becommunicatively coupled via an input/output subsystem, which may beembodied as circuitry and/or components to facilitate input/outputoperations with the processing device 502, the memory 506, and othercomponents of the computing device 500. For example, the input/outputsubsystem may be embodied as, or otherwise include, memory controllerhubs, input/output control hubs, firmware devices, communication links(i.e., point-to-point links, bus links, wires, cables, light guides,printed circuit board traces, etc.) and/or other components andsubsystems to facilitate the input/output operations.

The computing device 500 may include other or additional components,such as those commonly found in a typical computing device (e.g.,various input/output devices and/or other components), in otherembodiments. It should be further appreciated that one or more of thecomponents of the computing device 500 described herein may bedistributed across multiple computing devices. In other words, thetechniques described herein may be employed by a computing system thatincludes one or more computing devices. Additionally, although only asingle processing device 502, I/O device 504, and memory 506 areillustratively shown in FIG. 5, it should be appreciated that aparticular computing device 500 may include multiple processing devices502, I/O devices 504, and/or memories 506 in other embodiments. Further,in some embodiments, more than one external device 510 may be incommunication with the computing device 500.

As used herein, “Bluetooth” includes traditional Bluetooth BasicRate/Enhanced Rate (BR/EDR) technology and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)technology and refers to one or more components, architectures,communication protocols, and/or other systems, structures, or processesdefined by and/or compliant with one or more Bluetooth specifications,addendums, and/or supplements overseen by the Bluetooth Special InterestGroup (SIG) including, for example, active, legacy, withdrawn,deprecated, and/or subsequently introduced Bluetooth Core Specifications(CSs) (Bluetooth CS Version 1.0B, Bluetooth CS Version 1.1, Bluetooth CSVersion 1.2, Bluetooth CS Version 2.0+EDR, Bluetooth CS Version 2.1+EDR,Bluetooth CS Version 3.0+HS, Bluetooth CS Version 4.0, Bluetooth CSVersion 4.1, Bluetooth CS Version 4.2, Bluetooth CS Version 5.0);active, legacy, withdrawn, deprecated, and/or subsequently introducedBluetooth Core Specification Addendums (CSAs) (Bluetooth CSA Version 1,Bluetooth CSA Version 2, Bluetooth CSA Version 3, Bluetooth CSA Version4, Bluetooth CSA Version 5, Bluetooth CSA Version 6); Bluetooth CoreSpecification Supplements (CSSs) (Bluetooth CSS Version 1, Bluetooth CSSVersion 2, Bluetooth CSS Version 3, Bluetooth CSS Version 4, BluetoothCSS Version 5, Bluetooth CSS Version 6, Bluetooth CSS Version 7);active, legacy, withdrawn, deprecated, and/or subsequently introducedBluetooth Mesh Networking Specifications (Bluetooth Mesh ProfileSpecification 1.0, Bluetooth Mesh Model Specification 1.0, BluetoothMesh Device Properties 1.0); active, legacy, withdrawn, deprecated,and/or subsequently introduced Bluetooth Traditional ProfileSpecifications (3DSP, A2DP, AVRCP, BIP, BPP, CTN, DI, DUN, FTP, GAVDP,GNSS, GOEP, GPP, HCRP, HDP, HFP, HID, HSP, MAP, MPS, OPP, PAN, PBAP,SAP, SPP, SYNCH, VDP); active, legacy, withdrawn, deprecated, and/orsubsequently introduced Bluetooth Protocol Specifications (AVCTP, AVDTP,BNEP, IrDA, MCAP, RFCOMM, 3WIRE, SD, TCP, UART, USB, WAPB); active,legacy, withdrawn, deprecated, and/or subsequently introduced BluetoothGeneric Attribute Profile (GATT) services, characteristics,declarations, descriptors, and profiles (ANP, ANS, AIOP, AIOS, BAS, BCS,BLP, BLS, BMS, CGMP, CGMS, CPP, CPS, CSCP, CSCS, CTS, DIS, ESP, ESS,FMP, FTMP, FTMS, GSS, GLP, GLS, HIDS, HOGP, HPS, HRP, HRS, HTP, HTS,IAS, IDP, IDS, IPS, IPSP, LLS, LNP, LNS, NDCS, OTP, OTS, PASP, PASS,PXP, PLXP, PLXS, RCP, RCS, RSCP, RSCS, TRUS, ScPP, ScPS, TDS, TIP, TPS,UDS, WSP, WSS); and/or other Bluetooth specifications, addendums, and/orsupplements.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and thatall changes and modifications that come within the spirit of theinventions are desired to be protected.

It should be understood that while the use of words such as preferable,preferably, preferred or more preferred utilized in the descriptionabove indicate that the feature so described may be more desirable, itnonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may becontemplated as within the scope of the invention, the scope beingdefined by the claims that follow. In reading the claims, it is intendedthat when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” or “at least oneportion” are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only oneitem unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. When thelanguage “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item caninclude a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated tothe contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. An access control device, comprising: a lockingmember operable to move between a locking position and an unlockingposition to adjust a locked/unlocked state of the access control device;a lock state selector operable to cause the locking member to movebetween the locking position and the unlocking position to therebyadjust the locked/unlocked state between a locked state and an unlockedstate; an electronic actuator configured to drive the locking memberfrom the unlocking position to the locking position in response toreceiving a lock signal; a controller in communication with the actuatorand configured to transmit the lock signal in response to receiving alockdown command; and a wireless transceiver in communication with thecontroller and configured to selectively establish a wirelesscommunication connection with an external device, the wirelesstransceiver having a higher-power mode in which the wirelesscommunication connection is established, the wireless transceiver havinga lower-power mode in which the wireless communication connection is notestablished, wherein the wireless transceiver is operable to receive thelockdown command from the external device while operating in thelower-power mode; wherein the access control device has a standalonemode in which the access control device operates the wirelesstransceiver in the lower-power mode and the locked/unlocked state of theaccess control device is controlled locally; wherein the access controldevice has a networked mode in which the access control device operatesthe wireless transceiver in the higher-power mode and communicates withthe external device via the wireless communication connection; whereinthe access control device is configured to remain in the standalone modein response to operation of the lock state selector; and wherein theaccess control device is configured to transition from the standalonemode to the networked mode in response to receiving the lockdowncommand.
 2. The access control device of claim 1, further comprising auser-operable lockdown device configured to transmit the lockdowncommand when operated by a user.
 3. The access control device of claim1, wherein the wireless transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiverhaving an active mode corresponding to the higher-power mode and a sleepmode corresponding to the lower-power mode; and wherein the Bluetoothtransceiver is operable to receive the lockdown command from theexternal device while operating in the sleep mode when paired with theexternal device.
 4. The access control device of claim 1, wherein thewireless transceiver comprises a lower-power transceiver that is activein the lower-power mode and a higher-power transceiver that is active inthe higher-power mode.
 5. The access control device of claim 1, whereinthe electronic actuator is further configured to drive the lockingmember from the locking position to the unlocking position in responseto an unlock signal; wherein the controller is configured to transmitthe unlock signal in response to operation of the lock state selector ina first manner; and wherein the controller is configured to transmit thelock signal in response to operation of the lock state selector in asecond manner.
 6. The access control device of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further configured to establish, via the wirelesstransceiver, a second wireless communication connection to a secondexternal device when the access control device is operating in thenetworked mode.
 7. The access control device of claim 1, wherein withthe access control device operating in the networked mode, thecontroller is further configured to transmit the lockdown command to asecond external device via the wireless transceiver.
 8. A method ofoperating an access control system comprising a plurality of accesscontrol devices including a first access control device and a secondaccess control device, wherein the first access control device is inselective wireless communication with the second access control devicevia a first wireless communication connection, and wherein each accesscontrol device comprises a wireless transceiver and has alocked/unlocked state selectively comprising a locked state and anunlocked state, the method comprising: operating each of the accesscontrol devices in a standalone mode in which: the locked/unlocked stateof each access control device is controlled locally by the accesscontrol device; the wireless transceiver of each access control deviceis operating in a lower-power mode; and the first access control deviceis not in wireless communication with the second access control devicevia the first wireless communication connection; in response to alockdown condition detected at the first access control device:operating the first access control device in the locked state; causingthe wireless transceiver of the first access control device to operatein a higher-power mode in which the first access control deviceestablishes the first wireless communication connection with the secondaccess control device, thereby causing the wireless transceiver of thesecond access control device to operate in the higher-power mode; andtransmitting, from the first access control device to the second accesscontrol device, a lockdown command; and in response to receiving thelockdown command at the second access control device, operating thesecond access control device in the locked state.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein the plurality of access control devices further comprises athird access control device in selective wireless communication with thesecond access control device via a second wireless communicationconnection, the method further comprising: in response to receiving thelockdown command at the second access control device: establishing thesecond wireless communication connection, thereby causing the wirelesstransceiver of the third access control device to operate in thehigher-power mode; and transmitting, from the second access controldevice to the third access control device, the lockdown command; and inresponse to receiving the lockdown command at the third access controldevice, operating the third access control device in the locked state.10. The method of claim 9, wherein the third access control device islocated outside of a wireless communication range of the first accesscontrol device.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:transmitting, from the third access control device to the second accesscontrol device and via the second wireless communication connection,information relating to the locked/unlocked state of the third accesscontrol device; and transmitting, from the second access control deviceto the first access control device and via the first wirelesscommunication connection, information relating to the locked/unlockedstate of the second access control device and the information relatingto the locked/unlocked state of the third access control device.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising transmitting, from the secondaccess control device to the first access control device and via thefirst wireless communication connection, information relating to thelocked/unlocked state of the second access control device.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: transmitting, from the firstaccess control device to the second access control device and via thefirst wireless communication connection, information relating to thelocked/unlocked state of the first access control device; and storing,in memory of each of the first access control device and the secondaccess control device, an audit trail comprising the informationrelating to the locked/unlocked state of the first access control deviceand the information relating to the locked/unlocked state of the secondaccess control device.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the audittrail further comprises information indicating that the lockdowncondition was detected at the first access control device.
 15. Themethod of claim 8, wherein each of the wireless transceivers comprises aBluetooth transceiver, and wherein operating the wireless transceiver inthe lower-power mode comprises operating the Bluetooth transceiver in asleep mode.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior tooperating the access control devices in the standalone mode, pairing theBluetooth transceiver of the first access control device with theBluetooth transceiver of the second access control device.
 17. Themethod of claim 8, wherein each access control device comprises anelectronic lockset.
 18. A method of operating an access control systemcomprising a plurality of access control devices, the method comprising:operating the plurality of access control devices in a standalone modein which the access control devices are not in communication with oneanother, and a locked/unlocked state of each access control device iscontrolled locally; in response to a lockdown condition at a firstaccess control device of the plurality of access control devices,causing the first access control device to: operate in a locked state;transmit a lockdown command to a second access control device of theplurality of access control devices, wherein the second access controldevice is located within a wireless communication range of the firstaccess control device; and establish a first wireless communicationconnection with the second access control device; and in response toreceiving the lockdown command at the second access control device,causing the second access control device to: operate in the lockedstate; transmit the lockdown command to a third access control device ofthe plurality of access control devices, wherein the third accesscontrol device is located within a wireless communication range of thesecond access control device; and establish a second wirelesscommunication connection with the third access control device; and inresponse to receiving the lockdown command at the third access controldevice, causing the third access control device to operate in the lockedstate.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third access controldevice is located outside of the wireless communication range of thefirst access control device.
 20. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising: transmitting, from the third access control device to thesecond access control device via the second wireless communicationconnection, information relating to the locked/unlocked state of thethird access control device; transmitting, from the second accesscontrol device to the first access control device via the first wirelesscommunication connection, information relating to the locked/unlockedstate of the second access control device and the information relatingto the locked/unlocked state of the third access control device; andstoring, at the first access control device, an audit trail includinginformation relating to the locked/unlocked state of the first accesscontrol device, the information relating to the locked/unlocked state ofthe second access control device, and the information relating to thelocked/unlocked state of the third access control device.
 21. The methodof claim 18, further comprising storing, at each of the access controldevices, an audit trail including information relating to thelocked/unlocked state of each access control device.
 22. The method ofclaim 21, wherein the audit trail further includes informationindicating that the lockdown condition was initiated at the first accesscontrol device.